A Different Road
by Poignant
Summary: Ginny Weasley was different from her family. When gets sorted into Slytherin she feels like she can finally make her own decisions but will a blonde haired boy get in her way and send her life down a Different Road?
1. Prologue

**A Different Road**

**Prologue**

Everything she owned was old, hand-me-down or from a second hand shop. She felt excluded, having 6 older brothers she had to do something extra-ordinary to get noticed. So after a while she just stopped trying.

Finally, Ginny felt as though she could have a fresh start. She was going to Hogwarts, determined to be someone other than 'the youngest Weasley.' To start, she decided that she was going to do everything in her power to not be in Gryffindor. She wanted to be someone different, someone new and the best way to start that was to get sorted into a different house.

All this was running through Ginny's head as she stood outside the Great Hall waiting for McGonagall to come back, ready to take them into the Great Hall for the sorting. Ginny nervously shifted her weight from her left foot to her right, then back to her left. She started biting her lip in anticipation, a hundred thought running through her mind, whether or not she should really beg the sorting hat not to put her in Gryffindor or not.

"First years, follow me please," McGonagall turned and immediately everyone followed her. Ginny was the last to pass through the Great Hall doors but as soon as she did she immediately sought out her brothers who were all sitting on the far left table that must be Gryffindor's. Her eyes found Ron's and he gave her a warm smile. Immediately Ginny wondered if she was going to make the right decision. But thinking back on the previous 11 years of her life she knew that as soon as she was settled in to Gryffindor house she would just be another redheaded Weasley, and that is what she didn't want.

Professor McGonagall started calling names from a long list. Ginny knew she would be called out near the end because her last name started with a 'W' but she really just wanted to get her sorting over with. The more names that passed the more anticipation Ginny felt.

Finally her name was called. Slowly, Ginny took a few shaking steps up to the sorting hat. '_Well, well, well. What do we have here? You are an interesting case! A Weasley that doesn't want to be in Gryffindor? It takes tremendous bravery to do that, that kind of bravery is what puts you Weasleys in Gryffindor in the first place.'_

'Please no! I don't want to be put in Gryffindor! Put me somewhere else! Anywhere else!' Ginny pleaded with the hat.

'_Hmm. You do have qualities that are suited to other houses as well but looking into your head I see that you are extremely devious and cunning, traits that will excel best in Slytherin.'_

Ginny thought about what the hat was preposing for a minute. A Slytherin? She hadn't even considered it. It would be the best way to get back at her brother and it would never be boring, that's for sure. The more Ginny thought about it there more she liked it, which scared her. She wasn't even supposed to be considering Slytherin but here she was looking at the situation and the positives far outweighed the negatives.

"SLYTHERIN" the hat's announced shocked everyone in the Great Hall into silence. Ginny gave everyone a mischievous smile before walking slowly over to the far right table that she could tell was the Slytherin table by the amusement that was so obviously written over all their faces.


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N:**** Thank you to Harrypotter202abc for beta reading this chapter for me! And thank you accio. awesomeness and Harrypotter202abc for reviewing my last chapter! (hint hint!)**

**A Different Road**

**Chapter One**

Ginny Weasley was late for breakfast for the third time that week. She ran around her dorm grabbing everything she needed and shoving it into her tattered school bag. Ginny was just forcing the last book into her bag when the seam on the left side of the strained bag ripped. Ginny continued pushing the last book in now-half-split-bag and began upturning her whole room, looking for her wand. Finally she found it sitting under her bed and quickly grabbed it, casting 'Repairo' over her school bag, which patched up the bag but the strain from all the books was still evident.

Classes were due to start in 5 minutes and Ginny had not even made it to breakfast yet. She grabbed her bag and ran out the door, down the stairs, through the common room to the exit into a hallway just off the main corridor in the dungeons.

Ginny was just about to turn to the main corridor when she collided with something solid and she fell onto her bum, her bag split again sending the contents spilling out. Ginny looked up to find out what she had just collided with, only to meet the cold eyes of none other than Draco Malfoy. Ginny was just about to yell at him as she would have normally but she decided to be a little different this time.

Ginny was just about to greet him warmly when he said, "You're in your rightful position, down at my feet," Draco drawled attempting to provoke her as he usually did, it was very amusing when her Weasley temper was unleashed and he loved to be the cause.

Ginny's eyes narrowed at his feeble attempt to annoy her but instead of reacting with one of the millions of comebacks swirling around her head she simple said, "Hey Draco! How are you? It's been so long!" Draco kept is face impassive but Ginny, who was very observant, saw the flicker of confusion in his eyes.

"What do you want?" Draco asked, suspecting her fake kindness was only to get something from him, he was not fooled easily.

"Be a gentleman, and help me off the floor, would you?" Draco decided to play along with whatever she was doing and held a hand out for her, that way he could find out what the she-weasel wanted and get on with the rest of his life.

"Why thank you, kind sir," said Ginny, thoroughly enjoying playing with him. She reached out to grab his hand but as soon as she touched his hand she felt an electrical shock go through her body and immediately pulled her hand away gasping in pain, "What the hell was that for, Malfoy?" Ginny glared at him.

"I didn't bloody do anything! I touched your hand and got an electrical shock! Shouldn't I be asking you why you did that?"

"As if, you slimy ferret! You did that to me!" Draco turned and started walking down the corridor fed up with the red head who was still sprawled on the floor along with her books and broken bag, "You just better watch your back, Malfoy, I have a mean Bat Bogey Hex!" Ginny yelled at Draco's retreating figure.

Ginny groaned in frustration. Even though she was in the same house as Draco their hatred for one another was no secret. Ginny angrily stuffed her books into her bag repairing it for the second time that day before running off to her first class, which was Transfiguration, completely furious and ready to snap at anybody who so much as looked at her.

_.•*~* •._.•*~* •._.•*~* •._.•*~* •._

Draco was halfway through his Charms lesson when he felt the back of his head start to throb. It didn't hurt very much but after 10 minutes of continuous throbbing he was started to get annoyed.

"Professor Flitwick," Draco said as he raised his hand interrupting Flitwick's lecture about, something that Draco wasn't paying attention to.

"Yes, Malfoy?" responded Flitwick.

"Can I please go the Hospital Wing to get some pain relieving potion?" Draco drawled.

"Yes, of course, I shall expect you to be back within 5 minutes though," said Flitwick who then resumed his lecture about God-knows-what.

On Draco's way to the Infirmary the pain in the back of his skull intensified and he was glad that he was nearly at the Hospital Wing so he could get a potion to take the pain away. Upon entering the Infirmary he saw the youngest Weasley, again. As if seeing her once this morning wasn't enough?

"Malfoy? Why are you here?" Ginny unsuccessfully tried to keep the hostility out of her voice.

"None of your business," was Draco's reply.

Ginny was about to retaliate to Draco's comment when Madame Pomfrey saw the need to intervene, "What would you like Mr. Malfoy?"

Draco glared at Ginny before answering, "just a bit of pain relieving potion, please."

"What for?" Madame Pomfrey said turning around to retrieve a bottle of the potion from the cupboard behind her.

Draco rolled his eyes and said, "a headache." Ginny snorted at Draco's reply, "What? Do you find it funny that I have a headache?" said Draco bitterly.

"You're the one with the headache? I was the one who fell of the floor!" Ginny scowled at Draco.

"Wait. You're in here to get pain relieving potion for a headache too?"

"It's none of you business," said Ginny purposely being difficult.

"Yes she is," Said Madame Pomfrey who just turned around holding two vials of pain relieving potion. She handed one vile to each of them and they both held the vial up to their mouths before draining the vials simultaneously.

Afternoon classes were a drag. The potion had only helped for about 40 minutes and when Ginny had gone back to Madame Pomfrey for more potion, however, she was extremely disappointed to find that she was only allowed to take a vial of the pain relieving potion every 4 hours. Ginny glumly left the hospital wing for the second time that day. As she was rounding the corner she came face to face with none other than Draco Malfoy.

"Weaselette," he greeted her.

"What are you doing back here? Its bad enough that you were came to the hospital wing when I` did, oh, and you can't have anymore pain relief potion anyway, it's to be taken only every 4 hours," said Ginny smugly, happy that Draco was going through the same pain that she was experience in her head right at that moment.

"Shit," Draco said extremely annoyed that he couldn't get anything to relieve his throbbing headache.

"Yep! And its all you fault," said Ginny just before walking off.

"Whatever. It's your fault that you were late to breakfast!" Draco yelled at her before stalking off to the dungeon where he would lie down and pray that his migraine would go away.

**A/N:**** Don't forget to review and tell me what you think! **


End file.
